Wireless communication systems exist today to enable electronic devices, e.g., computers, mobile devices, and/or personal communication devices, to communicate and exchange information such as voice and multimedia information (e.g., video, audio and data). The information may be communicated in accordance with a number of different wireless communication protocols, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards including the 802.11 standards for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) and the 802.16 standards for Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), for example.
In the context of mobile broadband wireless access (MBWA) systems, wireless communication systems may operate in accordance with protocols and standards that comply with the IEEE 802.16 series of protocols, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), for example. WiMAX is a wireless broadband technology based on the IEEE 802.16 standard of which IEEE 802.16-2004 and the 802.16e amendment are Physical (PHY) layer specifications. The WiMAX standards-based wireless technology may provide higher-throughput broadband communications over longer distances. WiMAX can be used for a number of applications, including “last mile” wireless broadband connections, hotspots, cellular communications, and high-speed enterprise connectivity for business.
Future wireless communication systems that support broadband wireless access technologies such as the IEEE 802.16 series of standards may need to support and manage the operations of the wireless electronics devices throughout the wireless communication system known in the art as mobile stations. Management may include performing location information update for certain mobile stations, paging mobile stations, delivering data to mobile stations, and so forth. As the number of mobile stations increase, however, so does the complexity and cost of such management operations. Consequently, there may be a need for improvements in managing mobile stations to solve these and other problems.